There are 15 owner-reported fuel system complaints for the 2004 Buick Rainierin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BUICK RAINIER. AFTER PARKING THE VEHICLE, A FUEL ODOR WAS NOTICED OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE. ONCE THE CONTACT ENTERED THE VEHICLE, THE ODOR WAS STRONGER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THEY DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL LINES WERE ROTTED AND THE FUEL PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT ABOUT THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 109,722.
I NOTICED IN NOVEMBER OF 2016 MY BUICK RAINNER WAS SMELLING LIKE GASOLINE AFTER I GOT OUT AND LEFT IT RUNNING WHILE I WAS DROPPING STUFF AT HOME FROM WORK. WHEN I GOT BACK IN MY VEHICLE I DIDN'T SMELL ANYTHING, BUT COULD SMELL OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE. I WENT ABOUT ANOTHER 10 MILES LATER TO MY DESTINATION AND PARK. 20 MINS LATER WENT BACK OUT AND CRANK MY VEHICLE AND COULD SMELL A STRONG GAS ODOR COMING THRU VENTS ON THE INSIDE OF MY SUV. I GOT OUT AND LOOKED UNDER MY HOOD AND DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING WRONG UNDER THE HOOD. WHEN I WALKED TOWARD THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE THE GAS SMELL WAS EVEN STRONGER. I CHECKED THE FUEL / GAS TOP TO SEE I LEFT IT OFF BUT IT WASN'T. THEN I LOOKED UNDER MY VEHICLE AND NOTICE FUEL WAS POURING OUT AROUND MY GAS TANK AND NOTICE A BIG WET SPOT ON THE GROUND UNDER THE TANK. WHEN I CUT OFF THE VEHICLE I NOTICE THE GAS COMING FROM AROUND THE TANK HAS STOP. HAD MY VEHICLE TOOKEN TO A LOCAL GM/ BUICK DEALER. THE DID A INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE AND SAID WHAT EVER THE PROBLEM WAS IT WAS AT THE TOP OF THE GAS TANK. SO GAVE THEM PERMISSION TO WORK ON IT AND FIND OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. TWO DAYS LATER THE DEALER CALL ME AND SAID THAT THE GAS LINES GOING INTO THE TOP OF THE TANK WHERE FUEL PUMP GOES INTO THE TANK GAS WAS LEAKING FROM THEM. THEY COULDN'T TELL ME EXACTLY WHAT CAUSES MY LINES TO START LEAKING AT THE TOP OF THE TANK. ( AFTER READING THIS NHTSA REPORT IN 2008 ON THE CAUSE AND GM/ BUICK EXTENDED A WARRANTY FOR 10 YEARS OR 120,000 WARRANTY). I'M TOTALLY UPSET ABOUT THIS BECAUSE NHTSA SHOULD HAVE DONE A RECALL ON THIS PROBLEM TEN YEARS AGO INSTEAD OF CLOSING THE INVESTIGATION AS LONG AS BUICK MAKES EXTEND WARRANTY FIX. THE DEALER HAD TO ORDER THE PARTS FOR THE VEHICLE AND TOOK TWO DAYS TO ARRIVE. AFTER THE PARTS ARRIVE AND TWO DAYS MORE TO WORK ON IT. I HAD A $1200 BILLS THAT I HAD TO PAY A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY.
WHEN VEHICLE IS PARKED YOU CAN SMELL GASOLINE CAN PARK CAR IN GARAGE DUE TO OUR WATER HEATER RECEIVED NOTICE FROM G M IN NOVEMBER 2015 (G M SPECIAL COVERAGE PROGRAM,14423) CAN'T GET NOWHERE WITH G M SINCE NOVEMBER 2015
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BUICK RAINIER. AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED FOR A VOLUNTARY RECALL AND DRIVING AT A LOW SPEED, THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMAL NOISE UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT NOTICED FUEL FUMES EMITTING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE INLET CHECK VALVE FRACTURED AND NEEDED TO BE GLUED TOGETHER AS A TEMPORARY REMEDY DUE TO PART UNAVAILABILITY. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BUICK RAINIER. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND THE ENGINE STALLED AS THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE RECURRED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL TANK WAS LEAKING AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 24,000.
I HAVE HAD THIS VEHICLE FOR 4 YEARS AND THE SPEEDOMETER HAS NOT WORKED FOR 2.5 YEARS NOW. IT WILL WORK IF I RESET THE BATTERY OR TURN THE KEY OVER UNTIL THE NEEDLE GOES BACK TO 0. I AM TOLD THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER IS BAD AND I SEE THAT THERE ARE OTHER COMPLAINTS ALSO. PLEASE HELP. I NEED TO KNOW IF THIS IS COVERED AT A GM DEALERSHIP FOR FREE. THE VEHICLE ALSO SPUTTERS AND I HAVE ALREADY REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP AND HAD THE INJECTORS LOOKED AT. IF YOU CAN PLEASE EMAIL ME OR CONTACT ME I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE IT. *TR
THE FUEL GAUGE IS NOT SHOWING THE CORRECT AMOUNT OF FUEL. IT WILL GO FAR BEYOND FULL AND WAY BELOW EMPTY. OVER THE COURSE OF A MILE IT CAN GO FROM FULL TO EMPTY OR ALL BETWEEN. *TR
WHEN I PARK MY 2004 BUICK RAINIER IN MY GARAGE THERE IS A STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE WHICH IS GETTING WORSE OVER TIME. I WENT ON THE INTERNET TO RESEARCH AND ULTIMATELY FOUND THAT THE 2004 GM ENVOY (SISTER VEHICLE) HAD A RECALL DUE TO A SIMILAR ISSUE AND THAT GM CONFIRMED IN 2008 THAT THE 2004 BUICK RAINIER FUEL LINE CAN RUST AND CAUSE THIS CONDITION. ALTHOUGH I UNDERSTAND GM EXTENDED THE WARRANTY TO 10 YEARS AND 120,000 MILES THERE WAS NO NOTICE TO CONSUMERS THAT I AM AWARE OF. MY TRUCK IS 9 YEARS OLD BUT HAS 128,000 MILES. I WILL GO TO THE DEALER THIS WEEK TO SEE IF THEY CAN HELP. HISTORICALLY THE DEALER HAS BEEN LESS THAN HELPFUL WITH PROBLEMS AS I DID NOT PURCHASE THE VEHICLE FROM THEM. BEING UNEMPLOYED I WOULD RATHER FIX MY TRUCK AT THIS TIME AS A NEW CAR IS NOT A REASONABLE SOLUTION. ANY SUGGESTIONS YOU CAN OFFER TO HELP ME WOULD BE APPRECIATED. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
MY 2004 BUICK RAINIER HAS A GAS LEAK. I'M TOLD THAT THE PLASTIC TANK IS THE SAME ONE USED WITH THE GMC ENVOY, THE GMC TRAILBLAZER, OLD BRAVADIER AND PERHAPS OTHERS. THE FILLER PIPE WELDING BREAKS NEAR THE PLASTIC TANK AND GAS ESCAPES. THIS IS KNOWN PROBLEM AND HAS BEEN REPORTED BY MANY OTHER GMC OWNERS. THIS COULD BE A THE CAUSE OF FATAL FIRES BUT GMC WOULD RATHER IGNORE THIS SAFETY PROBLEM. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BUICK RAINIER. HE STATED THAT WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, HE NOTICED A FUEL LEAK. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY STATED THAT THEY WERE AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND DID NOT HAVE AN EXPLANATION FOR THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 117,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 118,000. UPDATED 9/1/10 *CN RECEIVED PICTURED. UPDATED 09/21/10. *JB
FUEL TANK IS LEAKING AT THE FILLER INLET. THIS SAME PROBLEM WAS COVERED UNDER A RECALL ON CHEVY TRAILBLAZER EXT'S WHICH SHARE MANY OF THE SAME COMPONENTS. THERE IS A SMELL OF FUEL IN MY GARAGE AND IT IS CLEARLY VISIBLE ON MY GARAGE FLOOR. WHY WOULDN'T GM COVER ALL VEHICLES OF THE SAME BUILD AND NOT JUST THE TRAILBLAZER? I AM AFRAID MY CAR WILL CATCH FIRE OVERNIGHT OR WHILE MY WIFE AND TODDLER ARE INSIDE IT. *TR
2004 BUICK RAINIER WITH 97,000 MILES AND NO HISTORY OF ACCIDENT, DAMAGE OR SERVICE ISSUES PASSED STATE OF ARIZONA EMISSIONS TEST IN DECEMBER 2009, INCLUDING EVAPORATION TESTING. WITHIN A COUPLE OF WEEKS A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND WAS DIAGNOSED BY CODE AS AN EVAPORATION ISSUE. ON THE WAY TO THE DEALER SERVICE CENTER THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCEPT GAS, INSTEAD THE GAS PUDDLED UNDER THE VEHICLE AND CAUSED THE PUMP TO AUTOMATICALLY SHUT OFF. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THERE WAS A CRACK IN THE GAS TANK IN THE AREA OF THE GAS FILLER NECK. THE DEALER ALSO CONFIRMED THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE AREA. DEALER INDICATES THAT THE GAS TANK AND FILLER NECK NEED TO BE REPLACED. NO ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN YET. *CN
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BUICK RAINIER. THE WELDING FROM THE FILLER NECK HAD BECOME LOOSE AND CAUSED A FUEL LEAK. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND REPAIRED AT THE OWNERS EXPENSE. A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THEY WOULD INVESTIGATE THE PROBLEM. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 144,000.
THE FIRST INCIDENT WE RAN OUT OF FUEL WITH THE FUEL GAUGE SHOWING WE STILL HAD FUEL IN THE TANK. NEXT INCIDENT, THE OIL PRESSURE GAUGE INDICATED A VERY HIGH OIL PRESSURE READING, LEADING ME TO BELIEVE SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH THE ENGINE. TOOK THE CAR HOME AND DROVE ANOTHER VEHICLE UNTIL I COULD DO SOME TESTING ON THE VEHICLE. OIL GAUGE RETURNED TO NORMAL OPERATION. IN APRIL OF 2010 I WAS DRIVING EXITING AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY ONTO A FOUR LANE ROAD AND THE SPEEDOMETER READING BECAME INACCURATE. I WAS TRAVELING FASTER THAN THE INDICATED SPEED. AFTER STOPPING AT AN INTERSECTION THE SPEEDOMETER NEVER MOVED FROM ZERO WHEN I WAS MOVING DOWN THE ROAD. THIS OCCURS AFTER A BRIEF PERIOD OF DRIVING. MECHANICS I HAVE SPOKEN TO INFORM ME THIS IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE WITH THIS MODEL VEHICLE. GAUGES SUCH AS FUEL GAUGE, OIL PRESSURE, TACHOMETER AND SPEEDOMETER ARE NOT TRUSTWORTHY AND GIVE INACCURATE READINGS. THIS IS A VERY EXPENSIVE ITEM TO REPLACE AND SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE YOU CANNOT DETERMINE YOUR SPEED AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BUICK RAINIER. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS THE "ENGINE" WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT CONTROL PANEL. THERE WAS ALSO A STRONG ODOR OF FUEL PRESENT OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED AT THIS TIME. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 29,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 32,000.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026